


The Walk Home

by Sayrua2 (Sayrua)



Category: The Maple Effect
Genre: Fried maple leaves, M/M, Mapleshipping - Freeform, The Maple Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-16
Updated: 2015-06-16
Packaged: 2018-04-04 16:08:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4144086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sayrua/pseuds/Sayrua2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>June and Aaron reflect upon the day's activities while walking home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Walk Home

"Maple Leaves, WHY HAVE YOU BETRAYED ME!" The words left the tall boy’s mouth wrapped themselves around the shorter boy’s ears and slipped away in the breeze, echoing softly through the sun dappled pine trees. 

Aaron hung his head dejectedly, still recalling the bitter aftertaste that lingered in his mouth. "I thought all deep fried foods are supposed to be delicious. And maple leaves! How could they possibly take two amazing things and turn them to suck like that?!” The tall dusky haired boy winced at the thought.

"The deep fried maple leaves weren't that bad...." Sympathetically June defended, walking not too far beside Aaron. The both of them following the lengthy quiet road back to the summer cabin.

"Says the person who only had one bite!!" Aaron quickly argued back. "I, at least, had hope that it would get better after a few bites……. it didn't." Heartbroken, he kicked a pine-cone over to the other side of the road.

Shaking his head, June attempted to be positive. “At least they were free?” He noted in the back of his mind, that they were passing the last bend in the road, meaning they’d be home in about 10 minutes.

"It's the fact that they were free, that we should have known there would be something wrong with them. " All too quickly Aaron replied, "I just wish I could get the burnt and bitter aftertaste out of my mouth," The words were followed with a gagging gesture of disgust.

June held back a chuckle, shaking his head sympathetically. "I'll cook you something delicious when we get back home," Home? The word echoed in his mind. When did I start to think of that Cabin as home? Even though we both leave at the end of summer… 

The rustling of pine needles in the wind filled the silence for a few moments. Aaron glanced over, noticing June staring off and getting lost in his own thoughts. Grasping this moment of opportunity, Aaron, much too easily, wrapped his arm around the shorter boy’s shoulders and proceeds to give June a single lick up the left side of his face, savoring it for half a moment before releasing June so they could walk again.  
"Thanks! That's much better actually. Damn, they should make a June-flavored Ice Cream."

June stumbled for a second, letting Aaron trail ahead. He could feel his face start to run hot. Oh my god, Aaron just licked me. His thoughts flutter in panic. How am I supposed to react to that? It's just a joke right? It must be a joke. "You licked my eye you jerk." June yelled, a bit awkwardly too late.

"It was worth it!" Aaron called back, raising his arm and fist in a triumphant gesture.

Proceeding to follow behind him, June glared forward at Aaron’s beautiful back. Even with his shirt on, you could tell that boy MUST work out… Probably climbing all those Maple Trees... 

June caught his wandering thoughts and lightly slapped his own, still fairly red, face. Gah, I just need to get this extra energy out of my system, he told himself, forcing the thoughts to the back of his mind with a heavy sigh. Shaking his head June deliberately sped up his pace, dashing right by his tall dusky haired counterpart. “Race you back!” June threw out at him as he ran by. The cool wind feeling nice on his hot face. 

“Hey!” Aaron swiftly extended an arm forward, trying to catch the quick boy before he scurried ahead of him. But instead his fingers only clasped around thin, empty air, forcing him to chase after his friend with long strides.

Glancing over his shoulder, June could see Aaron closing in on him. Curse those wonderfully long legs. Time for some drastic action. On the spur of the moment, June strategically turns off the road and into the wooded pine trees as a shortcut. 

"That's cheating! I don't know these woods like you do!” Aaron snapped after him, following close behind anyway. “June!” 

The cabin should be really close now, June thought to himself. Just gotta hop over this fallen tree and--- No sooner had the thought formed in his mind, mid leap, June could feel his foot landing on the ground awkwardly and off-balanced, sending him stumbling down to the ground. “Fuck.” he swore, wincing in pain and clutching his foot.

June opened his eyes when the moment of pain passed and he had calmed down, only to see those beautiful, beautiful green eyes staring back at him. “Whoa!” The surprise sent him falling  
backward from his crouched position.

"Holy--- Are you okay June??” 

"Yeah, I'm fine." June replied out of habit, allowing Aaron to help him to his feet... Only to have a sharp pain in his foot send him falling straight back toward the ground. Luckily, Aaron caught him just in time. “Fuck, ow.” June swore again.

"Is it broken?" 

"No, Just twisted or sprained I think." Leaning on Aaron's support, June carefully checked over his left ankle, noticing a couple of new scrapes on his leg, but nothing major. “Yeah, I'm sure it'll be fine after it's put on ice and rest for a day." 

Exhaling in relief, Aaron nodded in response. "Should I carry you back?"

Carry?! The surprising visual thought brought the red back into June’s face, as he stubbornly tried to will it all away. “No no, but if you could…. maybe find a walking stick…. or something….” The words fell clumsily out of dark haired boy’s mouth, unintentionally letting his blue eyes get lost in those concerned beautiful green eyes, which seemed to stare back unblinkingly.

A moment went by before Aaron finally chuckled back in response. "June Bug, you leave me no choice. " He moved closer, leaning down wrapping his arm around the shorter boy’s waist and hoisting him up over his shoulder.

June began to protest, "Hey, now! WAIT A SECOND!!" But Aaron’s arm was already finding it’s way securely around his friend’s legs, while advancing through the wood. “Now this isn’t fair!! Aaron!” June continued to resist, flailing his arms and feet. Until finally, Aaron gave in after a few minutes and set the boy back down. The heat returning to June’s face.

"What? Don't tell me you'd rather be carried in the princess hold?" Aaron joked, grinning a bit too much.

"No." June glowered back at him and his totally unfunny joke. “But CLEARLY it looks like I have no choice but to be carried back one way or another.” He sighed deeply before finally compromising, "Fine then, I'll ride on your back." 

Only nodding in response, Aaron turned around and crouched down, allowing June to wrap his arms over those strong shoulders and move into the piggyback position. While, Aaron in turn, wove an arm protectively around each of June’s legs.

"Up we go June Bug," Aaron declared as he stood up, slightly adjusting to maintain a secure grip around June thighs, before marching onward.

The back of Aaron’s neck was glistening with a thin layer of sweat, but June didn’t really mind. Letting his eyes saunter over Aaron’s dark brown undercut and up into the light golden brown that seemed to glow whenever streams of sunlight found their way through the trees, he strongly resisted the urge to touch it. 

I obviously have been spending too much time with him. June told himself, shutting his eyes and burying his face into Aaron’s shoulder. Only to be met with a deep inhale of Aaron scent… God damn it. He even smells glorious. What is he, some sort of Canadian Angel?!

“June, did you just…. smell my shoulder?” A slightly confused Aaron teased.

“No. Shut up!” June continued to keep his face hidden in the safety Aaron’s shoulder. As if that was going to protect him.

Aaron laughed in retort, “You know, I told you before, I can feel it when your face gets hot.”  
June’s head snapped up, “Shush. I can’t help it.” he shot back, whacking his angelic Canadian knight on the side of the head.

“Don’t make me drop you,” the statement would have been more threatening if Aaron hadn’t been chuckling as he said it. 

“YOU WOULDN’T DARE.” challenged June, glaring daggers at the side of Aaron’s head as if it would make any difference.

No sooner than June had spoken, he could suddenly feel Aaron’s grip on him loosen, allowing the boy to drop a few inches. “HEY!” June yelped, in a panic grasping those strong shoulders again. Aaron snickered and laughed as he carefully re-secured June back into his previous position.

“Jerk!” spat June, hitting Aaron lightly in the back this time. 

The sound of breaking twigs and rustling forest plants filled the silence for a moment as Aaron trudged onward, until finally, he broke the silence.

“Fried Maple Leaves aside, today was really fun.” Aaron said sincerely, “In fact, his whole summer has been fun, I’m really glad I came here.” 

I’m really glad you came here too, thought June but he couldn’t manage to say the words. Fortunately for him, the Cabin was emerging into view, so he tried to change the subject. “We’re back! We can---” 

“June,” perceptively Aaron interrupted, “I learned something about you today.”

Unsure of where this was going, June hesitated with his response, “Oh?”

“Yeah, you know, we met and interacted with a lot of people today.” he paused as he hopped up the porch stairs like they were nothing. “Your friend, That other friend… that deceiving grocery free sample lady…”

“You mean Angie and Charlie...” June instinctively corrected, still puzzled.

“Yeah, there we go. ANYWAYS, it’s a lot of people.” Aaron continued, striding right through the living room. “And I noticed that not a single time with any of those people, did your face turn red, like it does when you talk to me….” He attentively nudged open the bedroom door, “SO June bug…” Swiftly Aaron set June onto the bed, careful to avoid the sore and slightly swollen ankle. “You have anything you wanna confess to me?” The question was punctuated with a hand landing on either side of June’s head, allowing the taller boy to arch over him, breathing somewhat heavily as June’s face burned below him.  
“I…” The smaller boy started… all too aware of how close their bodies were. He was trapped. Even if he manage to shove Aaron away, he couldn’t walk anywhere until that ankle rests for a while. Damn, I should have insisted on that walking stick, he scolded himself. “Aaron, I….” June mumbled, still unable to say it. 

“Hmmm?” Aaron almost teasingly responded. Allowing his forehead to drop down and touch June’s forehead, feeling all the heat radiating from it. The sounds of both of them breathing heavily filled the room. 

 

June’s brain started to shut down, his own restraint slowly slipping away. Those ravishing green eyes peering down on him. No longer able to resist the urge, he wrapped his arms around Aaron’s neck, pulling him closer until their lips crushed together. Playfully he nibbled at his bottom lip before pushing in his tongue, exchanging hot kisses until June finally broke them apart. Gasping for breath, June was really glad to see Aaron reciprocate hot, feverish kisses back. 

Climbing the rest of the way on the bed, Aaron slid his tongue against the side of June’s face again, trailing back to his ear, carefully nipping at his earlobe, and nibbling up his piercings. Only stopping to whisper, “I’m serious though, June flavored ice cream. Million dollar idea.”

June couldn’t help but snort as he broke into laughter. “REALLY?” He tugged on Aaron to move over, pushing him down so they could switch positions, his smaller body snapping perfectly over the larger body. “It would only be a million dollar idea, if you had a million dollars to buy them all,” he retorted.

“Maybe.” responded Aaron, clearly not convinced. “You know, you never answered my question. Don’t you have something you wanna confess to me June Bug?” teasing again, he grinned. 

 

Another short kiss was exchanged before June finally responded, “Isn’t it obvious stupid?”

Aaron chuckled, rubbing his hand against June’s back. “I still wanna hear you say it.”

June glared for a moment before surrendering, “Well….I…. I might like you…. “ he muttered softly, then backpedaled, “Just a little bit.” 

 

“Just a little bit huh,” Aaron mocked, extending his arms around June strongly and tightly holding him close. “You know, I think I like you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Fried Maple leaves are a real thing! Apparently all the rage in Japan.  
> http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/10/06/fried-maple-leaves_n_5941022.html


End file.
